Time is short. This week the U.S. men's eight -- the last boat to London -- arrives at the U.S. Rowing training center in Princeton for 10 days of final preparation with coach Teti before they fly on July 19 to London for a shot at an Olympic medal.

The rower looks like a cyborg plugged into a machine. He is 6'5" and 205 pounds of lean, sculpted muscle, and he is not alone. A short bespectacled gray-haired man with latex-gloved hands sits patiently by his side, clipboard in hand.

To compensate for my size, I have developed a program that includes a paleo-style nutrition plan, heavy lifting and lots of interval work. I am constantly seeking new ways to improve my fitness and technique.

It has been a long seven years working towards this -- being the last one cut from the eight in 2008, again in 2009, working through injuries in 2010 and 2011, and then the ups and downs of selection this year.

Just days from now, on May 20 and 22, the team will be racing in Lucerne, Switzerland against France and New Zealand. Only one boat will win this last ticket to the London Summer Games. They call it "The Regatta of Death."

The thousand-plus fans lining the shore of Lake Natoma expected no contest. All season long, the Oakland Strokes Women's Varsity 8+ had been the fastest high school boat in the nation. But then something unexpected happened.

Imagine sharing a 29-foot rowboat with three other athletes for three to four weeks. Round the clock, you're alternating two-hour rowing shifts with two hours of sleep in the small, cramped cabin. At all moments, your crew must be on the alert for storms, ships, logs, and killer whales.

The vast array of cardio machines is dizzying. But when it comes to getting results, boosting your fitness and shrinking your waistline, the best cardio machine is the one that burns the most calories.

As the throngs at Copenhagen pack their bags and disperse from the historic summit back to all corners of the globe, a lone young Ohio woman, Katie Spotz, 24, is getting set to start out on a solitary, sea level voyage.